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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized the new N70,000 minimum wage, calling it “grossly inadequate” to cover workers’ basic needs.
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Obasanjo accused labour leaders of betraying workers by prioritizing personal interests over collective welfare.
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He proposed a law requiring labour leaders to wait at least five years after leaving office before participating in politics to prevent conflicts of interest.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has strongly criticized the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage, describing it as “grossly inadequate” to cover workers’ basic needs, including transportation, food, and housing.
In his newly released book, “Nigeria: Past and Future,” Obasanjo accused labour leaders of betraying workers by prioritizing personal interests over collective welfare.
“That is the situation in Nigeria in the third decade of the 21st century. The minimum wage does not even cover transportation costs for some workers, let alone food, housing, and family upkeep,” he wrote.
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Obasanjo also criticized government officials who openly admitted to paying off labour leaders to stop agitation. “How do we explain a senior official close to the President saying, ‘We have paid them to keep quiet and stop agitating’?” he asked.
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He proposed a law requiring labour leaders to wait at least five years after leaving office before participating in politics to prevent conflicts of interest. “Workers need more attention than they are getting. It is their right, and they have been denied it for too long. They have become victims of those meant to protect their interests,” Obasanjo said.
President Bola Tinubu signed the N70,000 minimum wage into law on July 29, 2024, after negotiations with organized labour and the private sector. This followed months-long talks in which Tinubu reduced labour’s initial N250,000/month demand to N70,000/month. The previous minimum wage was N33,000, signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari on April 18, 2019.
Obasanjo Slams Tinubu Administration Over Wasteful Projects
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a scathing attack on the President Bola Tinubu administration, describing the N15.6tn Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project as “wasteful and corrupt”.
In his new book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’, Obasanjo also criticized the administration’s decision to spend N21bn on a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima, calling it a “misplaced priority” and a “conduit designed to embezzle public funds”.
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